Biggest iPad Pro update in years tipped to include faster chips and better displays

The iPad Pro is about to get a long overdue update according to a new report.

Apple's biggest and best iPads are about to get a huge new update the likes of which the lineup hasn't seen in years. That's according to a new report that points to a 2024 upgrade for the iPad Pro lineup that will bring new Apple silicon and an upgraded display technology.

The current 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablets were released last year but they were very similar to the ones that they replaced. They did include a new M2 chip, but that wasn't a big enough reason for most existing iPad Pro owners to consider an upgrade. Now, it seems that Apple is readying its biggest iPad Pro update since 2018 with two new tablets on the horizon.

This is all according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in his weekly Power On newsletter. Gurman says that the new models carry the codenames J717, J718, J720, and J721 and will bring the biggest upgrade in a long time. The four model numbers likely refer to two different display sizes, each with Wi-Fi and cellular models.

Gurman's report says that the new iPad Pro tablets will both be powered by Apple's upcoming M3 chips, the likes of which we also expect to power the upcoming 13-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac refreshes.

Those new M3 chips are expected to be notable upgrades over their M2 counterparts thanks to a move to TSMC's new 3nm manufacturing process. While that doesn't automatically make the chips faster, it should ensure that they use less power and generate less heat during use. That can often then, in turn, allow chipmakers to push them harder for faster performance.

As for the rest of the upgraded iPad Pros, Gurman believes that Apple will offer an 11-inch model as it does today but that the 12.9-inch version will be replaced by a new, slightly larger 13-inch one. That increase in display size could be related to a change in display technology - Apple is expected to move the iPad Pro to OLED this time around.

"[The new iPad Pros] will also be Apple’s first tablets with OLED displays, the same types of screens used on the iPhone since the X model in 2017," Gurman reports. He goes on to say that the new tablets will use displays that "are crisper and brighter, and reproduce colors more accurately."

The new tablets are also expected to work with a refreshed Magic Keyboard. The new keyboard will reportedly make the new iPad Pro appear more like a laptop than ever before. It's reported that there is also a larger trackpad than previous models.

As for timing, Gurman again says that the new OLED iPad Pros will debut as soon as next year.

Oliver has written about technology for more than a decade, spanning some of the biggest properties in the space including Macworld, iMore, Lifewire, and Input. With a focus on mobile, gaming, and anything with a plug or a battery, he's another member of the Pocket-Lint family with too many empty boxes and not enough places to put them.